UT Researcher Reports on Impact of Racial Messages
on African-American First Graders in Various Neighborhoods
Houston – (Sept. 14, 2006) – The impact of an African-American parent’s messages to their child about race differs depending on the types of neighborhood in which they live, finds a study by lead investigator Margaret O’Brien Caughy, Sc.D., associate professor of health promotion and behavioral sciences at The University of Texas School of Public Health’s Dallas Regional Campus. The National Institute of Child Health and Development funded the study, which was published in this month’s Child Development.
Margaret O’Brien Caughy, Sc.D.
Previous research has shown that African-American parents who inspire racial pride and awareness in their home raise children who have better cognitive development and fewer behavioral problems, while the children of parents who promote racial stereotyping often have more behavior problems with their children. Researchers wanted to learn if those findings were consistent in a wide range of neighborhoods.
The study included 241 African-American first-grade students and their parents who live in a variety of neighborhoods in an urban area. Researchers asked the parents questions about their attitudes on parenting, how they talk about race with their child, and if they prepare their child for discrimination. The researchers also noted whether the home contained books, music, artwork, and other elements that reflected African-American culture. Finally, the researchers interviewed the child to determine his/her cognitive development.
“We found that a home rich in African-American culture was associated with better cognitive development for first graders who lived in high-risk neighborhoods,” Caughy said. “High risk neighborhoods” were defined as areas with high poverty, signs of physical disorder such as trash and graffiti, and fear among residents.
Researchers also found that a parent telling a child not to trust another race could cause more behavioral problems for a child living in a low-risk neighborhood, but not for a child living in a high-risk neighborhood.
Caughy cautioned that there is “no one size fits all” when it comes to raising a child. “Our study just supports the conclusion that messages about race affect young African-American children differently depending on the community in which they live," she said.
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